Ibrahim Ali leaving the KL Court complex after serving his 1-day sentence, spending time in a holding room within the court complex until the end of the working day
Ibrahim Ali spent a day in the Kuala Lumpur Court complex holding area as part of his one-day jail sentence and later declared that the court had wrongfully held him in contempt.
The Perkasa chief was released at the end of the working day. He then paid his RM20,000 fine.
He insisted he had never acted in contempt, saying that he was not responsible for the article posted on his group's website that had purportedly scandalised a judge and the court system.
Ibrahim said he will be in court again tomorrow in an attempt to clear his name.
Ibrahim was held in contempt after an article by blogger Zainudin Salleh was published on the Perkasa website. The article allegedly tarnished the reputation of retired High Court judge, Datuk V.T. Singham.
The president of the right-wing group left the Kuala Lumpur High Court this evening at 5.08pm clad in a black suit and pants after spending the whole day at the court complex.
Ibrahim was also fined RM20,000 along with his one-day jail sentence.
"I will file my appeal tomorrow to clear my name. The article was alleged to have been in my name but it was published by Zainuddin in the Perkasa media blog for which I do not even know the password," a defiant Ibrahim said.
"I consider myself innocent although I accept the court decision today. I don't want to dispute anything but I have to appeal because I didn't commit anything wrong. I didn't commit any offence," he told The Malaysian Insider when met at the court cafeteria.
The president of the Malay rights group also claimed he was a victim of circumstance, adding that the detention was nothing new to him.
Earlier today High Court judge Datuk John Louis O'Hara held Ibrahim and Zainuddin in contempt over an article published in the Perkasa website, which had allegedly tarnished the image of Singham.
Singham had presided over a defamation suit by opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim against Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd.
Judge O'Hara also sentenced Zainuddin to four weeks' jail.
Anwar's lawyer, R. Sivarasa, said the duo were responsible for the publication of the article which he described as a "personal and scurrilous attack on judge Singham".
"This article could not have been let off without a response. This is the most extreme scurrilous written attack on the judiciary. I think Zainuddin can consider himself lucky he only got four weeks' jail.
O'Hara also said that the article was a clear attempt to put pressure on the court in the decision on the defamation suit, which was pending then.
O'Hara added that Ibrahim, as president of Perkasa, was guilty of contempt as he did nothing to distance himself and his organisation from the article posted in Perkasa's website, adding that he "took no action to remove the article from the website".
The contempt proceeding was initiated by Anwar. Zainuddin's article carried personal attacks on trial judge Singham, who had presided over Anwar's defamation suit against Utusan Melayu and its editor-in-chief, Abdul Aziz Ishak.
The article was published in Perkasa's website on January 7, when the decision by Singham on the defamation suit was pending. On January 21, Singham ruled in favour of Anwar in the defamation suit, which was over the publication of two articles on his comments to BBC in an interview on homosexuality laws.
Following the decision, Anwar moved to cite Ibrahim and Zainuddin for contempt for the attacks against Singham.
Ibrahim had tried to set aside the application for committal proceedings against him, arguing that he and Perkasa were not responsible for the defamatory article posted in a website, but his application was rejected
comment
One day jail sentence is 24 hours. But only few hours and he is having big drama. Even drama actors will lose to him.
And his sentence," I'm innocent and will accept court decision today". If you are innocent, you would not accept court decision at all or will refuse one day jail at all cost. Readers, judge yourselves.
The proper place for him to serve the jail term is PRISON and not the court house buidling. The court house is not gazetted as a jail area. Wonder he is placed in the holding cell without any visitors? He should be ordered to serve his sentence in PRISON ! CAN SOMEBODY , PLEASE PROTEST !
This is what happen when an idiot wants to look overly smart ending up wasting tax-payer monies. Such person are actually anti-social, low IQ and of course very not clever!!!
Idiot!!!!
If I was the Judge, I would have locked him up and threw away the keys. This is one idiot that have no conscience and a racist that no parents would be proud of.
I am sure if Pakatan leaders were to be in the same position, the police will swiftly move them to real jail and held them for 24 hours. In the case of Ibrahim Ali, he is held in cafeteria and even allowed company. Besides it is until 5pm and not 24 hours.
The authority is making this country a laughing stock of the world.
